The ice-cold corporate thinking behind the cancellation of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt was made crystal clear in Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s words on a Thursday business call.
“We’re not going to launch a movie until it’s ready,” Zaslav said on quarterly earnings call late Thursday, according to the New York Post. “We’re not going to launch a movie to make a quarter and we’re not going to put a movie out unless we believe in it.”
Does that mean what it sounds like—that he doesn’t “believe” in the vehicles of joy that would have been Batgirl and Scoob?
“These are brands that are known everywhere in the world,” he said. “And as part of that, we’re going to focus on quality. DC is something that we think we could make better and we’re focused on it now.”
Zaslav used the “quality” many times when talking about DC, implying that Batgirl was not up to snuff, Variety reports.
Warner Bros. dropped a bomb earlier this week when, in a cost-cutting move that would save on marketing and back-end payments, the company announced it would simply cancel Batgirl, starring In the Heights star Leslie Grace. The movie cost $90 million to make.
While Grace was true to her name in responding to the unconscionable decision, her fans were understandably not so forgiving.
We may see more of these cheap tactics in the future. Since the merger between Discovery and WarnerMedia, Zaslav has shown, according to the Post, “no-nonsense, budget-focused leadership style that has translated to more than a few rip-the-Band-Aid-off decisions.”
Meanwhile, according to The Hollywood Reporter, DC Films president Walter Hamada is teetering on the precipice of leaving the studio, even going to far as to consult attorneys. While he has agreed to stay in his job until October 21, it should not be seen as a final decision.
“He’s pausing,” said a source.
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